Anson Mills Hominy with Pig’s Trotters, Celery Root Slaw & Dippy Egg

Spike Gjerde, Woodberry Kitchen, Baltimore /
November 2012

For 4 servings

Hominy:

2 1/4 lbs. Anson Mills Henry Moore hominy

1 Tbsp. culinary lime (see note below)

Heat oven to 200°F.

Place hominy in large saucepan; add water to cover by 2"; bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-high; stir in culinary lime; simmer 15 minutes; cover with a lid; cook in oven until tender and hulls have begun to dissolve (about 6 hours); (alternatively, you can cook hominy in a crockpot or slow cooker).

Remove from oven; drain; rinse under cold running water, agitating hominy, until water runs clear and all hulls have come off kernels; drain; place in large bowl; cover with plastic wrap; reserve in refrigerator.

Trotters:

2 pig’s trotters

chicken stock

1 onion, quartered

1 carrot, trimmed and quartered

2 cloves garlic, halved

4 sprigs thyme

1 fresh bay leaf

salt

black pepper, freshly ground

Heat oven to 300°F.

Place trotters in large saucepan; add cold water just to cover; bring to gentle boil; cook, skimming constantly, 10 minutes; remove trotters from pot with slotted spoon.

Heat 2 1/2 tsps. butter in cast-iron pot; add tomato wedges; cook, crushing with back of a spoon and stirring until cara­melized, broken down, and juicy; add reserved hominy and trotters with its sauce; cook until warmed through and flavors have melded; season; add hot sauce; stir in parsley; reserve (keep warm).

To serve an individual portion, heat additional 1/2 tsp. butter in cast-iron skillet set over low heat; add egg; cook until white is set but soft and yolk is soft and runny; remove from heat; spoon some hominy into a bowl; mound some slaw over; top with egg; repeat process to use remaining hominy and eggs.

What to drink: This dish is on Woodberry’s brunch menu, so they’ve created a late morning/noontime cocktail called Old Crow to accompany it: 3/4 oz. High West Campfire whiskey, 1 1/2 oz. Colonel Rickett’s Beautiful Blend Hard Apple Cider, 1/2 oz. Pennsylvania maple syrup, 4 dashes spiced pear bitters, 3 oz. Stoudt’s Oktoberfest (or similar malty beer); build the drink in the glass by adding everything but the beer over ice; stir for 10 seconds; top with beer; stir gently to mix.

Chef’s Note: We revived the fish pepper (Cap­si­cum annuum) sauce tradition, once an integral part of seafood houses in the Maryland/Mid-Atlantic area, by making our own from fish peppers grown for us by nearby farmers.